×

Parents organize meeting on school security

Like her children at Putnam Elementary School, when Emily Sams began to study school security, she did her homework.

Sams is the leader of an informal group of parents organizing a public meeting on the subject of school security and safety. The meeting, styled Secure our Schools, is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Souls Harbor Baptist Church, 115 Caywood Road.

“Over the past couple of years there have been significant school shootings in other parts of the country. Newtown (Sandy Hook Elementary School,where 20 children and six teachers were killed in 2012) especially stands out in my head,” she said Wednesday. “I came to the realization that this could happen in Marietta. It could happen at my children’s school.”

Sams said she started by having a discussion with Putnam Elementary Principal Scott Kratche about school security and quickly realized that building upgrades to improve security were not financially viable for the district.

“We got into a discussion about arming teachers, what that might look like,” she said. “I started looking into other schools that have done that. Several around Dayton have armed response teams, they have policies and training, and I took that information back to Scott. It started becoming clear that this is something we could do.”

The district organized a public meeting March 21 to have an open discussion on school security. The meeting, attended by about 40 people, included a panel of experts such as Marietta Police Chief Rodney Hupp and Washington County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Mark Warden, both of whom indicated they favored arming teachers as a security measure.

Sams also was at the meeting and said she was particularly struck by Hupp’s comments.

“It was his sense that we need to take personal responsibility to protect our children, our families, our community. We can’t wait for someone else to do that,” she said. “That really resonated with me.”

Kratche said he will attend the meeting but emphasized that, unlike the earlier meeting on school security and safety in March, this one is organized by parents, not the school district administration.

“It’s basically an opportunity for community members to talk about whether schools are safe, and what can be done to make them safer,” he said. “They’re inviting everyone in the community, and also district administration and teachers, Marietta Police Chief Rodney Hupp and the county sheriff.”

Kratche said some parents at his school have come to him with concerns over the past couple of years, but the killings at the Florida high school in February have increased the worries.

“Most think additional security is required,” he said.

Kratche said any changes in policy will have to be made at the board level, and that hasn’t happened yet.

Marietta City Schools Superintendent Will Hampton said he will also attend the meeting.

“I’m going to go and listen and see what I can learn,” he said.

Hampton said the board and administration are still grappling with the issue of security, which is more complex because of the age of the school buildings.

“Our buildings were just not designed for modern safety requirements,” he said.

The newest school in the district is Marietta High School, built 60 years ago.

“It was a different time,” said Hampton. “You’ve got an office centrally located where people coming in walk past classrooms and create all kinds of trouble.”

Sams said she hadn’t expected anything to come out of the March meeting.

“I know it’s a polarizing topic, and they probably aren’t going to implement anything without a push from outside,” she said.

Sams said she doesn’t have a background in law enforcement or certified training in firearms, but she does own a gun for personal protection.

“I’m comfortable with that,” she said.

If you go

¯What: Secure our Schools public meeting on school safety.

¯ When: 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

¯ Where: Souls Harbor Baptist Church, 115 Caywood Drive.

¯ Topic: Public discussion on making schools safer, including the arming of teachers.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

Starting at $4.15/week.

Subscribe Today